The Diaries of Pink
by LavenderHaze
Summary: Sakura Haruno is quite the unusually pink one. She's optimistic, which is opposite of the redheaded new kid. What happens when... they start to converse? Plenty of sparks and interference from a jealous onyx haired boy of course! xGaaSakuSasux
1. Another Emo

**Ok, here's an all-new Gaakura story for you guys! Wait… Is it Gaakura or just SakuGaa? Weird. Anyways, this one's set in modern times of course.**

**Title: **_The Diaries of Pink_

**Summary: **Sakura Haruno is quite the unusually pink one. She's pretty optimistic, but what happens when she catches the seafoam eyes of a particularly pained redhead (aka the new kid)? He's quite the opposite of her and they're from two different worlds. But then again, red is a darker shade of pink. Or is pink a lighter tint of red? Either way, there's still a connection, and there's still some interference of a certain raven-haired boy.

**Up there is the full summary. I would've added 'but people say black goes good with pink' but then that's kind of excessive and unnecessary. Whatever! xD On with the story! I hope you guys like chapter one!**

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**Chapter 1: Another Emo**

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Peace, Serenity, Tranquility. Three words that describe the emotions felt when one has walked through a cool, refreshing morning. The sun glistened in the sky at perhaps its freshest with a hazy glow to its edges. The sky is tinted a light gray – almost silver in fact and the breeze carried a crisp winter-fresh smell to it, probably courtesy of the many snow-frosted wildflowers growing around the area. Dew was a wonderful gift which sprinkled over the many blades of browning grass that dispatched a sort of pleasing scent. _This _truly represented one of Konaha's many winter mornings.

Somewhere, burrowed deep into the middle of the village, stood a sturdy, wooden house. Ms. Sakura Haruno slept peacefully inside her haven, buried in thick, pink sheets. Too bad she was missing what the morning view had to offer. But then again, the clock only read 5am. Any normal teenager wouldn't be up at this godforsaken time, unless of course, they rolled off the bed and banged their poor head on the cursed wooden floor.

Brrrrrriiiiiiinnnnnnnnggggggg!!!!!

Damn. The alarm was supposed to be set to 5pm instead for when Sakura needed to head to a concert later that day… A pale hand snaked through the tangle of blanket folds and slammed down on top of the 'snooze' button. Hard.

"Stupid clock." The pink haired 16 year old yawned as she stretched up. Shikamaru was right. Alarm clocks are troublesome. But thinking back at the lazy pineapple head, he thought _everything _was troublesome. "Oh well. I'm already freaking up," Sakura grumbled, not even bothering to slam back down for another hour's rest.

Her messy fluff of pink hair was rumpled over her eyes and every strand seemed out of place as she stared at herself in her vanity. Oh boy. She had a lot of work to do before school started. Sakura's feet felt heavier than usual while she sleepily dragged herself to the shower, telling herself repeatedly that a nice, long spray _was_ all she needed.

Tick-tock, tick-tock. Time went by. How long was it? Oh yeah, probably close to half an hour. _Creak_. The glass door leading into the showering stall finally opened as the constant drip of water on the floor ceased. Two pale, lean legs stepped out, soaked completely with droplets of water.

"Ah… That feels a lot better." Sakura's head was now cleared and any signs of grogginess had been efficiently wiped away. Now the next milestone was what should she wear? This, dear readers, was a kind of problem faced every single morning, unfortunately. You see, Sakura has a, shall I say, high level of self-consciousness. Not only does she require a very healthy-looking demeanor, but she also needs her outer appearance looking sharp and attractive – but not the slutty kind of appeal.

Sakura's hands rested loosely on her hips as she debated in her mind between a twill coat or a sweater tunic. Oh, hell to it all. She finally decided on an entirely different choice – a nice, black blazer. It was chic and perfect for the current weather, which was bitingly cold.

"Black blazer over beige pleated pants? Nah, too business-y. What about a black blazer over a white floral crinkle skirt and yellow tank? Nope. Too cold. Ah!" Sakura withdrew a pair of dark-washed skinny jeans and a simple white tank to use as an undershirt. In the end, she'd just buttoned up her blazer over her tank, wrapped layers of red and fuchsia ethnic scarves over her neck and a navy blue belt around her waist, and tucked her skinny jeans into a pair of black buckled miniboots.

Wow. It's a record. She finished getting ready in approximately an hour. Breakfast time, then the usual morning routine… To rephrase Shikamaru's words, school is such a hassle.

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"Ohayo, Orochimaru-sensei!" Sakura slid open the door to her homeroom class at Konaha High.

"Welcome to class Sakura. You're early, as usual." Orochimaru smiled (or at least that's what Sakura thought he did), then returned to shuffling some papers, which were most likely tests from the previous week.

The said Konaha resident plopped down at a seat near the window, her backpack falling limply to the ground. She sighed, staring at the scenery, wondering how she could miss such a beautiful morning sight.

"It's quite a chilly day, isn't it?" The lanky teacher stood up and started writing an assignment on the chalkboard.

"I guess." Sakura shrugged then looked at the doorway, hoping another student would stumble in so she didn't have to be the only one. Orochimaru had a very, uh…, unpredictable personality. Yeah, let's leave it at that. His appearance seemed to symbolize a snake, courtesy of his hissing voice and curling tongue. Man, even his deathly pale skin could make your blood curdle. No wonder his room is always so cold, or was that because he constantly had his window open?

Just her luck, Naruto Uzumaki, the class clown, tripped through the doorway, falling flat on the floor. But the little incident didn't bother him one bit. He had an unfair advantage to the hard ground because of the layers of puffy orange coats he had on. "Ohayo, Sakura-chan!" His cheesy smile flashed on his face as he pushed himself up, not even caring that he probably embarrassed himself greatly in front of his teacher and dear friend.

"Naruto-kun!" Sakura exclaimed in alarm at the sudden entry. "You are such a baka." She shook her head, but a small smile graced her face for she knew Naruto would always be, well, Naruto…

Behind the clumsy blond, a scowling raven-haired teen scuffled in, glaring intently at the cheeky kid in front of him. "Dobe, you're blocking the doorway."

"Teme!" Naruto frowned at his, surprisingly, best friend, addressing the grouch by the usual nickname.

Sakura chuckled at the display, knowing all too well that an argument was to spark up. "Now sit down you, two! It's way too early to be fighting!"

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Now, it's time for a well-deserved locker break. Sakura converged with a few of her friends, whom she shared the next class with.

"New kid, new kid, NEW KID!" Ino squealed, jumping up and down excitedly. "You know what that means right?"

"Trouble…" Shikamaru groaned, hands stuffed in pockets.

"No! It means another friend! And a possibility of a cute boy! But of course I'm not saying he could ever replace you, Sasuke-kun! Well, that is, if he's a guy of course!" Ino giggled. And before you ask any questions, yes, she is your stereotypical blond. Hm, but maybe except when you piss her off. Yeah, that's when she can make your life a living hell. I'd say that's her specialty.

"How troublesome…" Shikamaru responded by yawning.

Sasuke only rolled his onyx eyes. No blush or anything at Ino's comment. He was, after all, used to the fan girl stuff. And besides, Sasuke Uchiha is cool. He practically _oozes _cool. In fact, he gives the definition to the word 'cool.' Wait, that's only in the point of view of the so-called fan girls of the Uchiha.

"Think of it as making a new friend, Shikamaru!" Chouji was munching on his favorite Lay's potato chips.

"Yeah. Chouji has a good point you know. I think it'd be great to have a new person in our group!" Tenten eyed Neji to see what he'd think of her statement.

Mr. Hyuuga, the other 'cool' induced ice cube, merely snorted. He was _not _a people person. Compared to Naruto, he'd be a social outcast or just some arrogant ass, BUT, he isn't! He's totally in the arrogant part, but not the ass part…

"Why should we listen to him anyway? It's typical of Mr. Lazy Butt here to say things like that! No use trying to convince him!" Ino sniffed.

"Wh-Where did you hear of this 'new kid' anyway, I-Ino-chan? Orochimaru-sensei di-didn't tell us…" Hinata pressed her fingers together shyly.

"Oh Hinata! Haven't you ever heard of sneaking? All you do is dig inside his drawers! Simple as that!"

"HEY! Why didn't you ask me to go along with you?!" Naruto zoned in on Ino.

"Because, you'd ruin everything!"

"WHAT?!" Naruto huffed.

"Naruto, shut up. Ino's right at that. But Ino-_pig_, it's not right to dig through a teacher's stuff without permission. You remember what happened _last _time you did that right? Now you're just being Ms. Busybody again," Sakura pointed out.

"Oh what about you, Billboard Brow? You're just being plain ol' goodie goodie two shoes."

"Uh, guys? Let's just go to class now… We only have three minutes to get to biology, and it's on the second story!" Kiba wanted to avoid a fight between the two childhood friends. Plus, he needed to use the bathroom. Badly.

"Woof!" Akamaru barked from under his thick jacket. How Kiba received permission to bring a dog to school was beyond Sakura. Maybe he said that it was part of some special religion or something that his clan practiced…

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"Class, before we start our exciting lesson on the study of the miraculous human body, I'd like to introduce to you a new student." Jiraiya snatched an index card from his desk and began to read off of it like some reality show host. "This young man is one tough cookie who relishes the darkness and craves alone time. He came all the way from the sandy Suna, where the sun makes you sweat crystalline drops of a clear, shining liquid that a lot of girls seem to ha-"

"JUST GET ON WITH IT! We all know you secretly write perverted books so you're just honing your describing skills!" Some daring student lashed out and pointed an accusing finger at Jiraiya. No wonder the old man's such a good biology teacher. He knows all about the human body, and I'm talking about both genders.

"Ahem." The biology teacher narrowed his eyes. "Anyways, please give a warm welcome to the one, the only… Sabaku No Gaara! Uh… Just call him Gaara…"

_Swish._

The door opened. All eyes were directed to the entrance, anticipation swirling around the room. A black-clad foot stepping into the room, dressed in leather combat boots. Judging just from the shoe, this guy would serve to be another contribution to all the emo kids in this school. Or, that's just what Sakura thought. Boy she couldn't get any more wrong than that.

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**Yay! The first chapter's done! I kind of left it off at a cliffhanger and such, but I had fun writing, er typing it… Anyways, R&R please! Your reviews are MOTIVATION! Need I say more? And plus, I'm happier that way – not disappointed…**

**P.S. R&R**

**P.P.S. R&R**

**I think you get the point now…**


	2. Anger Management

**Hey guys! I'm here to update the 2****nd**** chappie! Enjoy!**

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**Chapter 2: Anger Management**

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He finally revealed his true form. The whole class, namely the girls, were full out gaping. Sakura took in the tough-boy look of the new kid. From the bottom up, he wore black combat boots with a pair of baggy crimson pants tucked inside, a tight black muscle shirt, covered by a black leather jacket. Whoa. Creepy. Not to mention the menacing-looking skull chain that hung from one of his many pockets.

"Ok, so where should Gaara sit?" Jiraiya tried to pay no attention whatsoever to the ogling girls and the awe-struck guys, but it was kinda hard, considering the fact that a lot of people were starting whisper audibly about the well-toned muscles seen through Gaara's tight jacket. _'Damn, if only I could have that effect…' _The dirty old teacher sniffled, just dreaming about what other girls would do to him if he looked as hot as the new kid did.

"SIT HERE!" Ino volunteered, pushing Sakura off her rightful seat, which was inconveniently next to her.

"What the hell?" The pink-haired teen pushed herself grudgingly off the floor and rubbed her sore bottom. "Ino!"

"Sorry Billboard Brow, but he's a new kid. We've gotta make him feel welcome!"

So much for a good day. Sakura fumed, steam practically coming out of her ears. What would she give for some time to be in a nice, peaceful spa or something like that. Anywhere but here.

"Very well then." Jiraiya secretly glared at Gaara, trying to catch his eye. "Gaara, sit next to Ino Yamanaka."

Gaara raised a non-existent brow, his black-lined eyes harboring a bored expression. "Who's she?" He mumbled in a deep, husky voice. _Thud. _It looks like there are some girls who require an immediate meeting with the nurse…

"Ino, raise your hand."

The blond immediately rose her hand, waving it frantically in the air. Wait, were those pulsing pink hearts in her eyes?

Gaara, not being fazed by the wild display, shoved his hands into his jacket pockets and trudged to Sakura's previous seat. That's it. He decided that moving to Konaha was one hell of a horrible idea. _Thanks a lot Temari. _He narrowed his sea foam eyes and plopped down. Next to one damn annoying blond. What was her name again? Emu? Imo? No… it was… Ino! Right, Ino… _Note to self: Freaking stay away from her._

On the other hand, Sakura wasn't so calm. There was _no _way she was going to lose her seat to some tough new kid and sit in the… corner, where Jiraiya kept his secret stash of perverted books, which was not so secret anymore ever since Kiba accidentally discovered it… But that's a whole different story! Anyways, Sakura eyed Gaara wearily, glaring at his spiked red hair. If looks could kill, he'd be on fire by now.

"Oh well go ahead and _ignore me_. I mean, of course I'd just give up my precious seat and voluntarily go sit in the back where Jiraiya-sensei keeps all his dirty little books!" Sakura spat sarcastically, earning disapproving glances from nearby students.

Gaara merely stared at her and blinked. Was that… possibly, pink hair? Yep. It most certainly was.

"Don't look at me like that!" Sakura seethed. Leaning in, she hissed into his ear daringly. "Get. Your. Ass. Out of my seat!"

"What if I said no?"

Sakura took a deep, deep breath. An insanely-fake grin started to crack its way onto her face, emanating a very fearful aura. Her eyes crinkled into what looked like a happy state. Uh-oh…. Ino's eyes darted nervously around as she slowly scooted her chair backwards, only to bump into Shikamaru's desk.

"She's getting it again… How troublesome." Shikamaru yawned, his eyes half-closed. But what could you expect from a lazy bum like him?

"I-I'm scared… S-Sakura-chan…" Hinata murmured, genuinely worried for her friend.

"I said. Get. Off. Please?" Sakura took several more deep breaths, trying (note: **trying**) to keep her anger in check. Her temper was one thing no one would want to tamper with. Naruto had learned that lesson long ago in the seventh grade when she punched him in the head for insulting her crush, aka, Sasuke. But of course, she's over that now…

"No." Gaara turned back to unpacking his black backpack, which he had probably spray painted on purpose to give off a gangster look.

"Oh boy! I better write this down!!" Jiraiya was very gleeful, copying all that he saw into a notebook labeled 'Make-out Violence 2: When Chicks go Psycho.' Oh ew. He couldn't stop his giggling.

Sakura's eyes were bulging like dinner plates now. It wasn't her fault she had some sort of anger management problem, but now, it was beyond irritation. It was more of a livid rage (how redundant is that). "GET OUT OF MY SEAT! I WILL NOT SIT WHERE A DIRTY OLD MAN STASHES ALL HIS PERVERTED BOOKS!"

"Then what makes you think I'd want to sit there?" Gaara's averted his gaze to the corner, where indeed, a corner of a red book peeked out from a crack in the wall.

"H-How'd you know?" Jiraiya abruptly ceased writing. "Those books are strictly for people the age of 18 and older!"

"I don't read them Jiraiya-sensei!" Sakura snapped. "They were long since discovered. Now get out, what was it? Oh yeah. _Gaara_." His name came hissed out like a curse word or he was some kind of freak. Well, maybe he was, but in a good way – like he's very different from others. Very, _very _different.

"NOOOO!!!!" Jiraiya ran to his little corner, desperately attempting to hide all the novels of the Make-out Paradise series. Lucky for him he was ignored. Otherwise, the students would have an even worse impression for him than they already had. But in this current situation, Gaara and Sakura's little fight was definitely much more intriguing, especially since Sakura's almost about to explode for real.

Brrrrrrrrriiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnnnngggggggg!!!

Gaara, the lucky duck. He was saved by the bell. Sakura squinted threateningly at the new kid, grabbing him fiercely by his jacket.

"You are one lucky ass, you know that? Next time, don't. Steal. My. Seat. Got it?"

Gaara shrugged.

"Well you better get that into that thick skull of yours or you're going to regret it. Now get it good." Sakura flicked him in the forehead with a finger and put him down, grabbing her stuff to leave. Now that was a perfectly good class, wasted, courtesy of an emo redhead.

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"Sakura, don't you think that was unnecessary?" Tenten furrowed her brows as she sat down at their usual table for lunch. Not everyone from their tight group of friends was there, since they all had different schedules, but at least most of the people who had witnessed the Gaara/Sakura scene were e

"Not at all. _Ino-pig _was unnecessary!" She munched down onto a classic peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

"But really, just because you have to sit next to Jiraiya-sensei's books? And besides, he was hot! How could I _not _offer him a seat?" Ino shrugged casually, like she didn't do anything wrong at all.

"Oh then why don't you try sitting there for once, hm?"

"Sakura-chan, you were so cool there!" Naruto barged into the conversation with at least five cups of instant ramen piled onto his tray. There we go again. Him and his obsession…

"Thank you, Naruto-kun." Sakura respected the noisy blond, not because he complimented her on a lot of things, but also because he had a strange gift of being able to understand people's pain. He proved that power real when he managed to get Sasuke Uchiha to be his friend and stop being such a chicken ass (no relations to his hair).

"S-Sakura-chan, a-are you ok?" Hinata blushed a dark red as Naruto sat down beside her and began to slurp up his ramen messily.

"Of course I am! Never been better!"

"You need a therapist. That's all I have to say." Chouji input, grabbing a handful of Shikamaru's chips.

"Hey! Oh why should I bother. It's too troublesome to get them back." Shikamaru retreated from Chouji and decided not to get his chips back. Besides, Chouji already had them stuffed inside that giant mouth of his.

"Therapist? Why?" Sakura wondered aloud.

"Man, you mean you don't see it?!" Kiba chimed in. "You have serious anger management problems!"

"Anger… Management… Problems…" Sakura pondered the thought. Now that she looked back at her actions, maybe Kiba was right. She did have a kind of out-of-control temper. She did get provoked easily, too… Casting a glance sideways, Sakura found Gaara sitting alone at a table, poking at his food. But who could blame him? Lunch there was pretty darn gross. "Well, I guess it wouldn't hurt to apologize."

"You go girl!" Ino cheered on, glad she didn't have to face her friend's wrath.

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Sakura bravely made her way through the throng of hungry kids just to get to that one loner who sat at his own table. Funny. Why weren't any fan girls there? Sakura's searched around and finally found them at their own table…. Ogling Gaara. And snapping pictures of him with their pink camera phones.

"Uh… Ahem." She cleared her throat when she neared Gaara's table. And yes, she was completely aware of the many glares she received from a lot of girls. "Is anyone sitting here?"

Gaara looked up, blinked, then went back to spearing his poor peas. "Yes."

Sakura was not dumbo. She knew perfectly well that there was no one there, or so she assumed. She deposited her bottom down anyway. "Well, whatever. There's no one here right now. Look… I know it may sound amazing, but…" She trailed off, a tint of pink appearing on her cheeks.

"What?" Gaara prompted, looking curiously at her now, as if she'd just burst out saying 'OMG Gaara! I love you! I'M A FAN GIRL!'

"I-I'm… Sorry… I was acting pretty unreasonable this morning…"

Gaara almost (_almost_) gawked in shock. She didn't look like the type to apologize… "Hm." He pretended to think, though he pretty much knew exactly what he wanted to say.

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**Heehee! I left it at a cliff-hanger! I pretty much have the next chapter planned out. I hope that Gaara acted accordingly and didn't seem OOC or anything. And I just had to have Sakura have a temper in this one. It seems more like something she'd do. I know that it's weird to be mad over a seat, but really, you wouldn't want to sit next to a bunch of Jiraiya's books would you? xD And plus, it's in a dingy little corner in the BACK, which is not a very good place to be, since usually a bunch of those high school misfits sit in the back and Sakura, being an attentive student does NOT want to get involved with it…. I hope that makes sense.**

**R&R! xD Thanks guys, and I also thank the reviewers ljoy989, LunarEclipse, Suck-A-Butt, lilmissmex3, AlaskenWildflower, Princessayuri1, NarutoandSakura4eva, & Taiyou Tenkuu! **

**Remember, constructive criticism and praise is very helpful! **


	3. Compelled for a Stranger

**Here you go! Enjoy a bit of angst…**

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**Chapter 3: Compelled for a Stranger**

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"Well. Then I guess you're forgiven this time. Do it again and don't expect me to go so easy on you." Gaara smirked. Great. He had the advantage in this.

Sakura narrowed her eyes but didn't say anything. What else could she say? "Th-Thanks." Sakura managed to stutter out. Stupid Gaara. Stupid Konaha. Stupid world. What, did the gods hate her or something?

"You're welcome. Now can you move? Someone's going to sit here." Gaara gestured to the seat Sakura occupied and continued to poking his speared peas.

Sakura sighed and pushed herself up. Her work was done here and besides, Gaara was annoying the hell out of her. How irritating could a single guy get?!

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**HEY GUYS!**

Well, here I am again, finally updating my page. It seems as if I had adopted some of Shika-kun's laziness. . Shikamaru, if you're out there, thanks a lot! Screw your bad habits. Anyways, why am I posting? It's because I have some pretty awesome news I heard in the halls, and no, I wasn't eavesdropping. The information merely… leaked out to my attentive ears during locker breaks. Oh, and I almost forgot. I've got a bunch of advice to post up along with a few extras.

**As I Heard:**

-The school's winter ball is coming up, entitled 'Winter Wonderland.' Plus, they're going overboard with the décor. Expect great things and an awesome time!

-An intramural sports day may be held with the following sports included: football, track and field, soccer, basketball, volleyball, and dodgeball. More info on this will come later.

-We'll be getting a new caterer! No more mystery meat…xD

**::End::**

Okay, so those are the news _I _heard. If you guys have anything to contribute to that, then go ahead and post. Next up is the advice I have to offer. Remember, f you want help, slip a note into locker 68 on the first floor near Room 46.

**Advice Galore**

Dear CherryBlo,

My boyfriend has been acting pretty shifty lately. He never wants me to go to his house and whenever I ask why, he shrugs me off. He also seems embarrassed to be seen around me whenever I mention his mother. I asked if I could meet her one day and he basically blew up about it! What should I do?

-Mama's Boy?

Dear MB,

If I had to take a guess at it, I'd say he's having some family problems. Give him some space for a few days and then zone in on him. Trust me, he'll appreciate the time you're offering him. After that, gently ask him if anything's wrong, but don't make it sound offending or anything. Let him know you're there for him. After that stage, that's basically all you can do. Hope for the best and make sure he gets better. He'll appreciate the thought you put in for him. Believe me, guys aren't that insensitive.

-Sakura, aka, CherryBlo

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Dear CherryBlo,

How am I supposed to deal with my FASHION CRISIS?! Apparently, all the kids think I wear trashy clothes, but do I? I mean, you can't really consider baggy T-shirts with neon yellow letters on them trashy. And what happens when you pair that with tattered jeans? Ugh… I need help. Seriously. Reply ASAP!

-The Fashionably Clueless

Dear TFC,

Hey! It seems as if you like to sport a more rocker look! Well, guess what? I'm kind of into that style too. A bit, I guess. Mine is more punk meets modern chic. Anyways, here's what I suggest you do. You can keep the T-shirt. It sounds pretty cool. But think of this. Wear the T-shirt over a pair of black skinny jeans and put a vintage print hoodie over it. Clip on some neon-colored hoop earrings, slip on a pair of black flip-flops, and tie your hair into a messy ponytail! It'd look very, very nice!

-Sakura, aka, CherryBlo

**::End Advice::**

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**Weather Speculations:**

1. Expect dry, wintery mornings and pretty refreshingly cold afternoons. At night, don't go out! It'll be pretty harsh and freezing. Literally.

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**Musical Speculations**

The school's annual music festival is coming up. It will be hosted by Tsuande-sama, the principal of Konaha High. There will be a bunch of refreshments provided with the money earned from Student Council, so be sure you guys buy a lot of stuff from them and make plenty of donations! This'll gaurantee you guys an EXCELLENT festival.

There is a 50 percent chance of a musical, hosted by Sasori-sensei.

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Sakura beamed at the work of art she just produced with her laptop. She hadn't blogged on her school's website for so long. She even almost forgot she had a page there! Hm. How forgetful of her…

_CRASH!_

This immediately caught Sakura's attention. She just got home and something unlucky's already happened!

"MOM! WHAT HAPPENED?!" The pinky bolted up and rushed downstairs, virtually tossing her computer onto the bed. It wasn't that she harbored no care whatsoever for her precious PC, but she _did _love her mom and wanted everything to be ok. For as long as Sakura's lived, she'd always had a complete and loving family. She wasn't about to let something as good as that slip away so easily.

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Freeze. Slow motion please! Sakura's mouth dropped. Her limbs basically went numb with fear at the scene in front of her. Broken porcelain dishes were strewn across the kitchen ground along with cracked plastic cups. The tap water from the sink was running and overflowing onto the tiled floor. A thick, crimson liquid had lead a trail from one of the shards of porcelain to a limp body, laying on the floor.

"MOM!" Sakura rushed up to the corpse, desperately trying to shake her awake. Who could've done this?

_BANG!_

The garage door flew open, banging off its hinges with a deafening sound. Mr. Haruno. He stood there in rage, his eyes red and bloodshot. In his hands, he carried an full bottle of amber liquid, most likely his dose of booze.

"D-Dad?" Sakura cowered into a corner, her mother pressed closely to her own shivering body.

"Sakura, get out. Now."

"DAD?! WHAT DID YOU DO?!" The enraged teenager screamed at the top of her lungs, though her throat ached with an unbearable pain. She felt her voice go hoarse after the ouburst. What the fuck was going on?

"GET OUT I SAID!"

What could she do? Nothing, absolutely nothing. Sakura's hand trembled. Her feet felt as heavy as a lead weight, causing her leg muscles to pulse unbelievably. No, this wasn't really taking place. No, it was all just some nightmare. It'll end soon. Inevitably, she was proved wrong. Very wrong. With a stumble to her unsure steps, the broken-hearted teen clambered upstairs, almost tripping over her own two feet.

Could you feel tears that real in a dream? No, Sakura didn't think so. Her eyes welled up involuntarily with the salty water she dreaded. She hadn't shed something like that in so long… Crap. Damn her weak emotions.

"M-Mom… I'll be ok." For as long as she could remember, her mother's only wish was for her to be happy and safe. Sakura would, with all her heart, _try _to fulfill that hope. It was all that was left to be done for her one and only… mother.

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_Drip. Drop._

The rain pattered its cold, harsh stings onto a cracked, gray sidewalk. Good. The droplets could hide her pained tears and wash her stained face.

"Hey. You."

Sakura willed herself to weakly turn her head towards the voice. Sabaku No Gaara. Just what she needed.

"Wh-What do you want?" Sakura's voice cracked.

Gaara's eyes narrowed. Now he wasn't sure of the whole meaning of friendship, but that didn't mean he was some heartless bastard. "Something's wrong." Duh. He just had to speak the obvious.

Sakura cracked a weak smile. "It's apparent even in the rain." With a frail finger, she twisted a lock of pink hair around her index. Her chuckle sounded forced and in vain.

"Do you really think I'm blind?" The redheaded boy's eyes narrowed into pale slits. "Spit."

"E-Excuse me?" Sakura let the drops of rain soak her clothes even more. At that rate, she didn't even care if she got sick or not.

"Tell me what happened." Gaara courageously took a step forward. She was special. She actually apologized to him before so now he was willing to help. It was like Temari had once told him. _'Gaara, if you want to ever become a people person, which I'm sure you do, you've got to sympathize with them.'_

He never thought he'd actually listen to her, but what the hell? Let's give it a shot.

"I-I…" Sakura blinked back hot tears. He was an accquaintance, but why did she feel compelled to tell him everything?

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**Here you guys go! I know it's a bit of angst and such, but it's probably the only serious angst in this whole entire story… Anyways, off to update my other one! Be sure to check out Love's Silhoutte starring Gaara and Sakura as well! I'm counting on reviews and motivation!**


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